The Implications of Internalism and Externalism for Coherentism

Internalism asserts that the justification of a belief is determined solely by factors internal to the believer, such as their cognitive states, evidence, and reasoning processes.

Externalism focuses on the role of factors external to the believer, such as the environment, social interactions, and cultural norms, in determining the justification of a belief.

Coherentism maintains that the justification of a belief is primarily determined by its coherence with other beliefs held by the believer, forming a coherent belief system.

Internalists argue that coherence alone is not sufficient for justification because it is possible to have a coherent system of beliefs that is not justified, such as a system based on false premises.

Externalists argue that coherence is not a necessary condition for justification because it is possible to have justified beliefs that are not coherent with other beliefs held by the believer, such as beliefs based on reliable testimony.

The problem of circularity arises for internalism because the justification of a belief is determined by its coherence with other beliefs, which in turn may be justified by their coherence with the first belief, leading to a circular justification.

Externalists argue that the problem of circularity can be avoided by appealing to external factors, such as the environment, social interactions, and cultural norms, to provide a non-circular justification for beliefs.

Coherentism avoids the problem of regress, which arises for foundationalism due to the need for an infinite regress of foundational beliefs, by allowing for the justification of beliefs through their coherence with other beliefs, rather than relying on a foundation of indubitable beliefs.

Coherentists argue that skeptical arguments can be resisted by appealing to the coherence of our beliefs with our experiences, which provide a non-skeptical starting point for justification.

A potential disadvantage of coherentism is that it may be seen as too subjective, as the justification of beliefs is determined by their coherence with other beliefs held by the individual, which can vary from person to person.

Coherentists argue that coherence is not a subjective criterion because it is based on objective logical relations between beliefs, rather than on the individual's subjective preferences or feelings.

The primary difference between internalism and externalism in epistemology lies in their respective emphases on the role of internal factors (such as cognitive states, evidence, and reasoning processes) and external factors (such as the environment, social interactions, and cultural norms) in determining the justification of beliefs.

A common criticism of coherentism is that it is too relativistic, as it allows for the justification of contradictory beliefs in different individuals or communities, depending on their respective belief systems.

Coherentists argue that coherentism is not committed to relativism because it allows for the possibility of objective standards of coherence that can be used to evaluate the justification of beliefs across different individuals or communities.